


Sore Loser

by ZsGurl



Series: White Flag [8]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood, F/M, Injury, Jealousy?, Pining, Stitching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:02:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZsGurl/pseuds/ZsGurl
Summary: While out on a mission, the Survey Corps takes refuge in a cabin for the night. Erwin is injured and is being stubborn about letting Angel tend his wound.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Character(s), Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: White Flag [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1867147
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Sore Loser

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT- Sorry, I had to go in and edit a grammatical error that was driving me crazy!!

“Commander, I need to see to your wound.”

“Not until everyone else is tended to,” Commander Erwin Smith replied in his deep voice.

“Everyone critical is tended to, and I can see that you are still actively bleeding. I need to see how deep it is. Now.” Angel caught his gaze and raised her eyebrows at him, daring him to defy her again. Why were men so stubborn?

With a heavy sigh, he moved to the bench, shedding his jacket and the leather straps of his ODM gear. Next, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

“Wait,” Angel said, “Unbutton it but leave it on for a minute.” Erwin looked at her curiously, but complied. She wanted to examine the tear in his shirt to make sure no pieces of fabric had gotten into the wound. He had steadfastly refused to be looked at until everyone else had been treated, but she had grown concerned by the fact that his wound wouldn’t stop bleeding. She knelt in front of him to get a better look. The wound was a little left of center, below his ribcage. It was a decent size gash, about seven inches, needing stitches, but not deep enough for concern. Erwin stood patiently as Angel carefully examined the tear in his shirt to make sure she wouldn’t have to go digging around in the wound for missing pieces of fabric that could cause infection later on.

It wasn’t until Connie walked past and jokingly sniggered, “Get a room,” that Angel realized how she must have looked on her knees in front of Erwin. She knew that Connie used inappropriate humor to deal with stress, so she threw him an admonishing look and continued what she was doing. Besides, she had found herself in much more interesting positions working basic battlefield triage. But she couldn’t stop the faint blush creeping up her neck. Regardless of her relationship with Levi, it was impossible to be completely immune to Erwin’s charms. He was a fine specimen of a man, with a commanding presence and impassioned nature. Even more disturbing was Levi’s revelation that Erwin had feelings for her at one time. But she never saw any indication of friction between the two men. She and Erwin still enjoyed daily runs together when not out in the field, and the occasional chess match, and she never saw any verification of Levi’s claims. He was always a perfect gentleman whose friendship she cherished. Most importantly, he was her commander.

The sun had finally slipped below the horizon and night descended quickly. The night air brought a refreshing coolness to break up the heat of the day. The small cabin where the survivors had gathered to camp was beginning to settle down as everyone who was mobile was finding a place to bed down for the night. They were tired, wounded, heart-sore for the comrades lost, and discouraged as they had not yet found the missing villagers. The injured had been tended to as best as could be hoped while out in the field. Angel and several other soldiers who had been trained in field medicine had been busy seeing to the treatable injuries. She spared a quick glance to the corner of the cabin where a couple of the more severely injured were made as comfortable as possible, their injuries far beyond basic battlefield triage. It was unlikely they would survive the night. Several of their squad mates kept vigil over them. It would be a long night for some.

Brining her attention back to the injury before her, Angel got up off the floor and motioned for Erwin to remove the shirt and sit on the bench. She then moved around the room, collecting the things she needed to clean the wound and stitch him up. She found a couple of lanterns for extra light in the dim cabin. It took her a moment to locate her field kit which was stocked with all the necessary supplies for stitching. Unfortunately, she had discovered earlier that her bottle of alcohol had broken sometime during the chaos today. So, she had resorted to confiscating flasks of liquor off the soldiers. Her head was pounding from prolonged exposure throughout the evening to the raw homemade brew that was currently making the rounds of the Corps. Gods, how did they drink this stuff? She swore she was getting a contact high just from the fumes wafting from the flask she was holding.

She spied Levi across the room, sitting on the floor next to her bedroll that he had considerately laid out for her, arm resting across his bent knee. Angel gave a silent blessing for his safe return as she sent him a small smile of thanks. He acknowledged her smile with a short nod as he continued to watch her movements around the crowded room. Earlier, he had not returned with the rest of his squad and her heart had been squeezed by a tight fist of anxiety until he showed up a couple of hours later, splattered in titan blood. It was the curse of caring for such a man and she knew she would never get used to it. Now he sat there, calmly drinking a cup of tea alone, as if it were an ordinary Saturday night, his hair still damp from where he had rinsed himself off at the well outside.

She turned back to Erwin, who was currently sitting on the bench, barking orders to Connie to go out and check on the horses. Apparently Erwin didn’t appreciate Connie’s earlier humor and disrespect. Serves him right, as she was now self-conscious and could again feel heat creep up her neck as she stepped between Erwin’s knees and kneeled to get the best access to his wound. “I don’t suppose I could get you to lay down on the table for me?” she asked. She saw the humor in his eyes as he arched a brow at her. She sighed, “I didn’t think so.” Angel busied herself prepping her needle and cleaning the wound. As usual, when she worked, she eventually got lost in what she was doing as she leaned in closer so she could get a better angle for sewing. 

“This is going to sting,” She said as she poured some of the vile brew on a clean cloth and dabbed the wound, clearing away the dried blood and debris. Blood was still seeping slowly, but it wasn’t alarming and she thought it would stop once the it was sutured. She put some more alcohol on her cloth and applied some pressure to the wound. Erwin didn’t utter a sound, but she could feel his abdominal and thigh muscles tense. That was usually the worst part. The actual stitching didn’t hurt near as much as the cleaning and the alcohol getting into the wound.

As she began stitching, Angel was intensely aware of the man in front of her; the heat of his large body, the smooth tawny skin under her hands, the smell of his sweat, the depth of his gaze as he watched her. She kept her gaze carefully on her work in front of her. It was disconcerting to work with all that masculine intensity centered on her. Suddenly, she felt his attention shift away from her and she dared to look up into his face to see his gaze directed behind her. Following his line of sight, she realized he must have been looking at Levi, not with a smirk as that was not his style, but definitely a bit of challenge in his gaze. Oh dear heavens, she thought, wanting to roll her eyes but forced to keep her attention on the job in front of her. Just what they needed at the moment, with titans all around them outside, two titans facing off here inside.

“Quit tormenting him,” she demanded, jabbing the needle in a little harder than necessary.

Air hissing between his teeth in pain, he looked back down at her, kneeling close between his spread thighs, amusement in his gaze. “He could use a little torment every now and then.” The cabin had grown quiet as she had worked so they both kept their voices low.

“I think he’s had enough torment to last a lifetime,” she replied darkly, bending over her work as she tied off another stitch.

Erwin instantly sobered. “Of course you are right. I apologize.” He paused for a moment, then softly said, “But at least allow me a moment to be a sore loser.”

At this her gaze jerked up to his. This was the first time Erwin had indicated anything at all that validated Levi’s earlier claims as to Erwin’s feelings. The longing and desire she saw in his blue eyes humbled her and she dropped her gaze. To his lap. _Dear Gods, help me_. As she closed her eyes, she could feel Levi’s gaze boring into her back and knew he was taking in every nuance of her interaction with Erwin, those half-lidded eyes not missing anything.

“I’m so sorry, Erwin. I never meant…,” Angel stammered, her eyes still closed as she couldn’t bear to meet his gaze.

She felt his hand gently rest on her shoulder. “It’s okay.” At that she looked back up into his eyes. “You are good for him. He deserves to be happy.” As his mask of easy charm slipped back into place he added, “And I am sure I can find someone to help me soothe my ego.”

She knew he was right. She saw the looks the women in the Corps gave him when they thought he wasn’t looking. There were many that coveted his tall 6’2” well-built frame, blond hair, blue eyes, with a body carved by the hard work of the Corps, or by the gods themselves. And while her heart belonged to a shorter, dark haired, silent master of destruction, she could still appreciate the beauty that was Commander Erwin Smith.

“Now,” he continued, “please hurry up and finish before someone removes some of my favorite body parts with his blades.”

Angel laughed quietly as she became aware again of how things looked to the casual observer, her kneeling between the spread thighs of a half-naked Erwin Smith. But at least the awkwardness between them was broken.

“And could you do me a favor?” he courteously asked.

“Of course, Commander.”

“In lieu of our previous conversation, could you please be more mindful as to where you place your hands?” It was said with utter politeness, but Angel could hear the underlying strain in his voice.

At that, she looked down to see her now-idle hands had come to rest directly on his lap. Finding herself blushing for the third time in the last thirty minutes, Angel hastily picked them up and resumed the last couple of stitches.

Finally finished, she applied a light dressing and shot to her feet, declaring him free to go as she backed away, wiping her hands on her cloth, no longer able to make eye contact, sure that she would again see amusement in his gaze at her hasty retreat.

As she cleaned up her kit, she glanced up in time to see Erwin throw on his shirt, and lock eyes with Levi as he strode past where Levi quietly sat. Their wordless exchange resulted in each man nodding at the other in a gesture of understanding, before Erwin turned and headed toward his own bedroll in the far corner.

Angel heaved a sigh of relief as she went to stand against the wall near Levi and survey the rest of the room to see if anyone else needed attention before she could seek the comfort of her bedroll. Seeing that everyone was settled down for the night, she finally, thankfully, sank into her bed, exhausted. She turned her body toward Levi, who she knew would sit awake for hours before catching a couple of hours of sleep deep in the night, and curled her hand around his hard thigh, breathing in his scent.

The last thing she remembered before succumbing to exhaustion, was Levi’s rough hand gently resting atop hers on his thigh.


End file.
